Sabre Responds to New Ticket Fees Imposed by Northwest Airlines

Sabre Travel Network announced yesterday that it is instituting a new policy for any airline participating in the direct-connect availability (DCA) three-year program which charges a fee on tickets issued through Sabre that is not also applied to the airline's own website. The policy goes into immediate effect for Northwest Airlines in response to its announcement of imposing new ticketing fees on all domestic tickets issued through U.S. and Canadian travel agencies using a global distribution system (GDS).

Sabre stated that such behavior is contrary to the letter and the spirit of the DCA 3 agreements.

"We are taking proactive measures to protect consumers from hidden and selective fare increases. And we are standing up for online and offline travel agents, who have long-provided great service to consumers and corporations," said John Stow, president of Sabre Travel Network.

Under the new policy, Sabre will take a series of actions applicable to any airline not honoring its commitment to provide fare parity for Sabre users. Initial actions include:

- Ensuring more prominent display for those carriers providing the full complement of fares as required under the agreement;

- Discontinuing access to system data and tools enjoyed by other DCA 3 participants; and

- Withholding a portion of the discounts available under the DCA 3 program.

"The Sabre DCA 3 program was introduced in late 2002 and was applauded by the travel industry for its role in eliminating fare confusion in the marketplace. It is unfortunate that Northwest Airlines is attempting to reintroduce that confusion; it is anti-consumer and anti-travel agent," Stow said.